Birthday Wishes [Izuku's Birthday 2020]

Midoriya didn’t exactly keep his birthday a secret, but he certainly didn’t go out of his way to talk about it. As a kid, he’d always just spent it with his mother – he insisted he didn’t want a party, that he’d rather just have a nice dinner with his mom, but he was pretty sure they’d both known the real reason.

Midoriya didn’t exactly have friends, after all. He could have invited his whole class to the party, his whole school, and he wouldn’t have been at all surprised if none of them showed up. Maybe Bakugou, if his mother forced him into it, but that probably wouldn’t have been the greatest way to spend a birthday.  

No, it was better to spend it with the one person who loved him unconditionally, who didn’t put him down for being quirkless and laugh at his dreams of heroism.

Birthdays had been important in a different way, to him. Birthdays had mattered when they belonged to other people. He’d kept a list of them, meticulously filed in one of his notebooks and updated each year for classmates who arrived or left, and without fail, he always managed to have a neatly-wrapped box of chocolates sitting in their desk early that morning.  

He wasn’t sure if any of them knew it was him, didn’t bother to speak up about it – maybe on some level he hoped it would garner him some friendship, or at least some general good feelings, but he knew the way bullying worked from a very young age. If the whole class was against him, then no individual person would stick up for him for fear of being lumped in with him. It was better to join the torment or at least not oppose it, than to be tormented with him, no matter how nice they were as a person. If the class found out it was Midoriya leaving the little packages, the recipients would feel obligated to trash them, to make fun of him. It was easier just to stay quiet, to maybe shoot them a quick smile and wish them a happy birthday in the halls, rather than to make a big deal out of it.

So no, he didn’t try particularly hard to hide it, but it also wasn’t something that came up in conversation often.  

U.A. should have been different, he knew. He had friends there, after all. He could have mentioned it to any one of his classmates and they’d have done something nice for him, or at least said the words. Instead, somehow, the day arrived with nothing to mark it – he’d never found a time to slip it in, never found the confidence to tell them it was coming, it had just sneaked up on them silently. People were too busy making plans for their summer vacation to think about it, anyway.  

It was fine, though. Midoriya didn’t need a big party to celebrate him, that seemed… Narcissistic, in a way. His friends had more important things to think about than the day he was born! He supposed he just wished, that was all.

That morning, he woke to his phone buzzing on the bedside table, rolling over to see his mother’s name and a cute selfie of them both light up his screen. With a little smile he picked up, holding it to his ear.

“Morning Mom,” he said softly.

“Happy Birthday Sweetie!” she burst, making him wince a little at the volume, but laughing all the same. “It’s so strange to not have you here, but I’m sure you have a wonderful day planned out! I’ve sent some money to your account to buy yourself something nice!”

“Aw Mom, you didn’t have to do that,” he assured her. “You’re too nice.”

“I wanted to,” she insisted. “And I’m making katsudon on Saturday! We’ll have our nice dinner and I’ll give you your presents, just like always, even if it’s a few days late this year! But you have a nice day with your friends today, okay? I’m sure they’re itching to snatch you away to celebrate, so I wanted to call early, before you got busy!”

“Thank you,” he smiled faintly. “That’s really sweet of you, Mom. It means a lot. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there, it’s weird to not be with you.”

“Well, sweetie, the day was always going to come. You’re growing up, after all! I can’t expect you to just be in the next room forever! I’ll still be here when you get back, so make the most of your time at school with all your friends!”

“Thank you, I will.”

They chatted a while longer, catching up as Midoriya pottered around his room, packing his things for class and finding a clean uniform in his closet. Soon, though, his alarm was going, and he didn’t have to say the words.

“Have a great day at school,” she reminded him. “And be safe! Don’t get up to anything silly!”

“I know,” Midoriya laughed. “I’ll be careful, I promise.”

“Happy birthday sweetie.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

He hung up his phone and slipped it into his bag for later, giving his teeth a quick clean and throwing his uniform on to head downstairs. His friends were already in the kitchen, throwing together their various breakfasts, and he smiled faintly as he joined them in the fray. They worked around each other seamlessly, weaving between people and throwing ingredients over heads as needed – they’d been doing this dance for a long time, after all. Soon they were gathered around the table to eat, smiling and chatting just like every other day but despite himself, Midoriya felt a little let down.

He supposed on some level he’d been hoping they might remember. He was sure Iida at least had to have seen their class list at some point with their birthdays written down – he was kind of surprised they weren’t all written on his calendar, honestly. He seemed like the type to do it. And he and Uraraka had become so close over their time at the school, surely it must have slipped out in conversation at some point, right? She had to have heard the date even once.

On Uraraka’s last birthday, she’d carried around a bouquet of balloons all day, presented to her by all the other girls in class. Each one had birthday wishes written on it from a different classmate, and it had only grown throughout the day as others caught on and added their own balloon-card.

On Iida’s last birthday, he’d gotten a little homeroom-party planned by everyone in class. He’d been given cards and even presents by everyone and thanked for being their unwavering class leader – even Bakugou had handed him a card and grumbled a “happy birthday” on his way into class.  

And now, on Midoriya’s birthday…

No, it was fine. He needed to stop thinking about it, that was all. Needed to move on. If he wanted them to do something, he should have asked them! It was his own fault, not theirs.

He knew he was quieter than usual as they walked, as he smiled at them and slid into his seat, but no one said a word about it. It was early, after all. It wouldn’t be unusual for him to be tired after a late night. They had no reason to think anything was out of place, and yet Midoriya kind of wished they would notice.  

Then again, he’d made it clear in the past that if he wanted to talk, he’d talk. They were just respecting his wishes.

Damn his considerate friends.

When Bakugou arrived, he froze in the doorway, his scowl softening just a little before Kaminari was slinging an arm around his shoulders and dragging him inside. He pulled away, muttering something cranky, and fell heavily into his chair. For a moment he was silent, then he stood up again, turning his chair around to narrow his eyes at Midoriya.

“Y-Yes, Kacchan?” he squeaked. “Good morning, what’s up?”

“You have a fight or some shit?”

“Me? No? Am I bleeding? Did I cut myself shaving or something?” he asked, eyebrows knitting together as he patted at his cheeks.

“With your nerd-squad,” he clarified.

Midoriya’s face flushed pink, and he ducked his head, eyes darting over to make sure no one was listening.

“No fights,” he whispered. “They just, um, don’t know.”

“Oh,” Bakugou said quietly, surprisingly gentle for him of all people. “I guess I assumed it was just a secret because of the shitty classmates.”

“You were right,” Midoriya assured him. “I guess it just never came up, it’s just… Not a big deal, okay?”

“I can tell them.”

“No!” Midoriya blushed. “They’d feel so guilty if they found out now, it’s fine!”

Bakugou’s eyes narrowed even further and for a moment Midoriya thought he was going to argue, but with a little huff, he nodded. Instead, he reached into his bag, slipping Midoriya an envelope and a tiny package wrapped in green paper. Midoriya’s eyes watered as he accepted, looking up to see Bakugou’s cheeks slightly pink as he shrugged.

“Figured everyone else would be doing something,” he explained. “Didn’t wanna deal with all the shit they’d give me for ‘forgetting’ if I didn’t get you something.”

“Thank you, Kacchan!” Midoriya beamed, ignoring the tears that squeezed their way out. “This is the best thing I could ever have hoped for, you’ve just made my day perfect.”

“Whatever,” Bakugou snorted. “Open it later, the bell’s gonna-”

His sentence was quickly cut off by the school bell ringing, signalling the beginning of class, and with a little nod, Bakugou turned around. Midoriya swiped his hand across his face, wiping away the tears, and slipped his gift into his backpack for later.

Of all people, he’d gotten a present from Kacchan.  

He didn’t need anything else.

─────

“I’ll catch up with you in a minute,” Midoriya smiled, waving his friends off ahead for their lunch break. “Just need to do something real quick!”

He waited for the classroom to empty out before he pulled out the little white envelope, slitting it open carefully. Inside, he found a brightly coloured birthday card emblazoned with a sparkly All Might in his old costume, already spilling glitter across his desk before he’d even opened it to read. Across the top were shiny foil letters, spelling out “Happy 7th Birthday to a very special boy!”, but Bakugou had taken a black marker and scribbled in a “1” to make it seventeen. Midoriya choked out a laugh, holding it tight in his hands, and paused for a moment to breathe before he flipped it open.

“Nerd,” it read. “Have a happy birthday. I guess I should have been around for more of them, but I guess I’m glad you’ll get a good one this year. I’ll stay out of your way today, so don’t worry about me ruining it, okay? I’m trying to do better, and today seems like a good day to start.”

A sob found its way out at that, and Midoriya stretched his arms out across the desk, making sure his stupid tears didn’t stain the beautiful writing.

“Deku,”

“I’m sorry,” he sniffled, another sob falling out all the same. “It just means a lot to me, okay?!”

“I know.”

Bakugou sat back down at his desk, turning his chair around again to face the sobbing idiot. He leaned in a little, and with his hand trembling, placed it over Midoriya’s. 

“I know I’m a piece of shit,” he said quietly. “I was gonna let you celebrate with your friends and not get involved, so I wouldn’t accidentally ruin it.”

“You could never ruin it, Kacchan! I would love to have you there if I had a party!”

“But,” he continued, ignoring the words other than a faint blush that gave him away. “Since you’re not… celebrating. Let me buy you lunch.”

“You don’t have to take pity on me Kacchan, I’m okay. Really.”

“I ain’t pitying shit,” Bakugou growled. “You know I don’t pity people.”

“Y-Yeah, I guess not,” Midoriya sniffed. “But still, you don’t need to feel obligated, or-”

“When have I ever done shit I didn’t want to do?” Bakugou demanded. “I’m offering because I want to… Shit. I want to do this right, okay? I want to start… Making it better. I want to…”

“Apology accepted,” Midoriya smiled awkwardly. “I forgave you a long time ago Kacchan, you know that. We were just dumb kids.”

“No, don’t,” Bakugou insisted. “Don’t just… Shit. I need to say the words, okay? I’ve been… I’ve been trying for like a year. And I’m just so shitty at this, but… I am, okay? I’m… Sorry. Really sorry. For all the stupid decisions I made because of my dumb shit pride. And all that. You… You were a better hero. Than me. Back then, I mean! Don’t go getting up yourself! Now clean your damn face and come with me, we’re getting lunch.”

“Okay,” Midoriya laughed, still choking on his tears. “Thank you, Kacchan. Really.”

“It’s fine.”

He tucked his card away, carefully pressed between two textbooks to keep it from being damaged, then accepted the tissues Bakugou offered him to clean himself up. Bakugou watched him with a surprising amount of concern the entire time, and Midoriya quickly slapped a smile on his face when he was done crying.

“Thank you,”

“It’s no big deal, I always carry them with me.”

“I didn’t mean for the tissues.”

“Oh.” Bakugou paused, looking away for a second. “Um, yeah. I’m not gonna say ‘you’re welcome’, that’d be stupid.”

“It’s okay,” Midoriya giggled. “Where are we going?”

“Anywhere you want, as long as it’s within five minutes walk so we’re not late back. We could probably make it to the tonkatsu place if you want.”

“You don’t like tonkatsu,” Midoriya grinned. “You really are being nice. It’s okay, Mom is making me katsudon on Saturday. What about the yakitori place instead?”

“I hate that place.”

“You do? Oh, sorry, well then-”

“I’m kidding, nerd,” Bakugou snorted. “Because I said anywhere you want.”

“But if you hate it-”

“I don’t hate it. Forget it, it was a dumb joke.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

As they walked, Midoriya dug out his phone to text his friends, letting them know something had come up and he’d see them back in class, rather than let them wonder where he got to. Bakugou was quiet, which was both surprising and completely unsurprising at the same time. Surprising, because he yelled so much and just talked at such a high volume, but also not at all, because when he had nothing to yell about, he wasn’t one for small talk. Midoriya was used to that, though. He’d spent his whole life around it, watching him run hot and cold. If anything, at this point it was comforting.  

“So why didn’t you tell them?” Bakugou asked, as they sat down at a little wooden counter.  “Don’t give me that ‘it never came up’ bullshit, there’s no way you couldn’t have said ‘hey, it’s my birthday in a few days’ over lunch or homework or some shit.”

“I don’t know, I’m not used to celebrating it.”

“Thought that’d make you more keen to do it now.”

“I don’t know, what if they don’t want to? I don’t want anyone to feel obligated. It should be for fun, not because they feel like they have to.”

“And you think ‘hey it’s my birthday’ is that same as ‘throw me a damn party you dumbshits’?”

“You know what I mean, Kacchan. You felt obligated too, this morning.”

“I didn’t.”

“Huh?”

“I know I said I did,” Bakugou grimaced. “But I wanted to.”

“You’re not just saying that?”

“Think I would’ve poured my damn thought-vomit out in that card if I was obligated?” Bakugou huffed, ruffling Midoriya’s hair roughly and making him whine. “Come on, whadda ya wanna eat? Want me to just get a variety? I’m paying.”

“I don’t mind! Anything is fine! And you don’t have to pay!”

“Variety it is, and I’m still paying.”

Midoriya pouted at him, but when the strong hand ruffled his hair again, he couldn’t help but crack a little smile.

“Thanks, Kacchan.”

The restaurant was quiet, the lunch rush from the nearby businesses not yet begun, so the pair sat in a near-empty building, thankfully air-conditioned to battle the heat of the summer beyond the walls and the grills firing on the other side of the counter. Their first plate arrived quickly, and Midoriya found himself smiling as he ate, the tiniest twitch of a matching one pointed his way when he caught Bakugou’s eye.

“You should open your present,” Bakugou mumbled, wiping his hands on a napkin. “You started bawling and didn’t do it, before.”

“Oh! Yeah! Can I? You said to wait, before, so I thought-”

“I meant so you wouldn’t have to answer questions,” Bakugou cut him off knowingly. “Not that you couldn’t do it with me around.”

“Okay!”

He dug the little package out of his bag as they waited for the next serving, smiling to himself at the shiny green paper and far too much tape. It was long and thin, some sort of rectangular box, and Midoriya hunted down the end of the tape to start peeling.

“It’s not much,” Bakugou mumbled, nodding as he accepted the next plate from their server. “Figured anything expensive would just make you uncomfortable, thought you’d prefer something smaller and more…”

“Personal?” Midoriya finished, eyes darting up to catch flushed cheeks. “I do, I much prefer it.”

“Yeah, that.”

To his surprise, there was more than one thing inside the package. The main box was dark, polished wood, and it housed a beautiful metal pen, the exact same shade of green as his hero costume, laying in a bed of deep red velvet. He marvelled as he examined it, gently plucking it out to feel, the barrel smooth and light in his hand.

“It’s supposed to be indestructible. Maybe now you won’t constantly come back to class with ink stains on your ass,” Bakugou smirked. “It’s at least more durable than your cheap plastic things, even if you inevitably ruin their claim.”

“It’s so beautiful, Kacchan! How am I ever meant to use it?! What if it does break?!”

“Then I’ll get you another one next birthday,” Bakugou snorted. “No point having it if you don’t use it, right?”

“Thank you so much, Kacchan. I love it, you’re amazing.”

“The other thing is probably stupid,” Bakugou grumbled, nudging the little velvet bag at him all the same. “I doubt you even remember, but whatever, maybe you’ll think it’s cute or some shit anyway, or whatever.”

Giggling, Midoriya pulled the little drawstring open, tipping the contents carefully into his hand. Two thick strings fell out, and Midoriya tilted his head as he untangled them, finding matching patterns in two familiar colours.

“Where did you get these?” he asked, running his thumb down the neat little stripes.

“I uh, made them.”

“You made them?”

“Obviously, you damn nerd,” Bakugou huffed, looking away with even his ears burning red. “It wasn’t hard, even if it was a decade too late.”

“There’s no such thing as too late,” Midoriya beamed. “And you even made them in our colours!”

“Yeah,” Bakugou nodded, swallowing hard. “I figured one matches your costume, and the other matches mine, so… If you want…”

Midoriya didn’t dare to finish the sentence, and Bakugou took a moment to find the words himself.

“We could wear one each,” he said finally. “But only if you want.”

“Would you really?”

“If you don’t mind it being me.”

“I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else!”

He reached for Bakugou’s hand, making little grabby gestures until Bakugou held it out obediently, but red eyes widened when Midoriya fastened the green one around his wrist with no hesitation.

“There!” he said proudly. “Can you help me put mine on?”

He held out his hand, offering up the black and orange bracelet with it, and Bakugou swallowed hard once more, his hands shaking a little as he tied it carefully around Midoriya’s arm.

“I shouldn’t have laughed at you so much when you wanted them, I was just being a stupid kid.”

“It’s okay, Kacchan, really. Have you been beating yourself up for it all this time?”

“A little,” he admitted, shuddering. “I mean, maybe not in middle school. Somehow I thought I was infallible back then. But otherwise… You just seemed so let down when I said no. I’d seen you sad and angry and scared and everything else, but I guess that was the first time I let you down.”

“And now you’ve made it all better,” Midoriya grinned. “Can I hug you, Kacchan?”

“You want to?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then y-yeah, fine.”

Bakugou set his chicken down in favour of holding his arms out, letting Midoriya scoop him into a tight hug. And if a fond smile crossed his face as it happened, no one ever had to know.

“I’m surprised you still want to hug me, even after a couple of presents.”

“They weren’t just a couple of presents,” Midoriya protested. “They were thoughtful, and meaningful, and so, so special, Kacchan. Besides, hugs are always good! I love hugs, and I love Kacchan!”

He realised his words too late, jaw falling open as he started to step back, to step away before Bakugou could register the confession and shove him off. Bakugou just held tighter, though, refusing to let him move, and Midoriya gulped when the barest hint of stubble brushed against his cheek.  

“Me too,” Bakugou whispered. “But you can’t forgive me that easily, not yet.”

“I do, Kacchan! I always did! Kacchan changed, and got so much better, and became such a good hero! And- Wait. You… What did you just say?”

“I said me too, you damn nerd,” Bakugou huffed. “Got a problem with that?”

“You like me?”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

“Like… You might consider dating me?”

“Why do you think I asked you out to lunch?” Bakugou snorted, finally letting go for them to see each other’s face again. “Thought it might be the closest I’d ever get.”

“Kacchan, no!” Midoriya blushed. “I mean- Yes, this can absolutely be a date, but no, don’t talk like that! Go on more dates with me, Kacchan!”

“You got it, nerd.”

“I’m so happy! I can’t even believe it!”

“Believe it, nerd. Stop letting those idiots flirt with you, you’re mine now.”

“Kacchan, no one flirts with me, don’t be silly.”

“Everyone flirts with you. Now sit down and eat your food, we need to head back soon.”

With a last little nod, Midoriya dropped back into his seat, reaching for one of the steaming chicken skewers cooked in soy sauce. He couldn’t seem to take the beaming smile off his face for even a second, especially when he looked at the pretty thread bracelet tied around his wrist. He’d wanted a friendship bracelet so desperately, back then. Proof that he had at least one friend who liked him enough to make one for him, and especially, proof that that friend was Kacchan. Other than being a hero and meeting All Might, it might have been his oldest dream, and now they were all coming true.  

“Close your eyes,” Midoriya instructed, setting down his empty skewer. “Just for a second.”

Bakugou eyed him warily, but obediently let them sink closed, and then Midoriya was leaning in, planting the tiniest, most nervous little kiss in the world on Bakugou’s cheek. He grinned when Bakugou burned bright red again, eyes flying open in shock, and the stupefied look on his face was just too adorable to resist.

Midoriya kissed him again.

“Damn nerd,” Bakugou huffed, grabbing a handful of green curls and planting a much firmer kiss on scattered freckles. “Don’t do that embarrassing shit.”

“You don’t like it?”

“Fuckin’ obviously I do.”

“Then let me do it more!”

“Do what you want, asshole.”

Midoriya giggled again, and Bakugou felt his entire body turn to mush, reaching quickly for more meat in the hopes of hiding it.  

“Thank you for my birthday-date, Kacchan,” Midoriya grinned. “This is the best birthday ever.”

“Damn right it is.”

─────

Midoriya was still riding on cloud nine as he walked out to the training grounds, his notebook stuffed in the back of his suit, along with his shiny new pen that supposedly wouldn’t explode the first time he used his quirk – he just had to cross his fingers that the claim was accurate. His fingers roamed to his wrist when he saw Bakugou already waiting, leaning against a building with Kirishima babbling away at his side. It never failed to amaze him how quickly Kirishima had adopted Bakugou as his friend, how easily he continued to nudge his way in when others would have given up long ago. Bakugou was lucky to have such a sweet friend.  

Bakugou looked up, catching Midoriya staring, and where normally they’d have both looked away in a hurry, this time their eyes lingered. Midoriya smiled, raising one hand in a little wave, and Bakugou nodded at him in return.  

Midoriya’s heart was going to explode if it kept beating so fast.

“Everything okay, Deku?” Uraraka slung an arm around his shoulders, smiling softly. “You’re staring.”

“Yeah,” Midoriya grinned. “We had a good talk, earlier.”

“You and Bakugou?”

“Uh-huh!”

“Wow, that’s great! I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks!”

He tugged his sleeve down to cover his bracelet safely, keeping it tucked away where it couldn’t get caught or dirtied, and gave Bakugou one last smile as he grouped up with his friends to chat.

“Midoriya, my boy!” All Might boomed, the moment he reached their group. “Are you having a good day so far?”

“Y-Yes!” Midoriya squeaked, nodding hurriedly. “A great day, thank you!”

“I’m glad! Come by my office after class, would you? I have a small gift for you.”

“Y-You do? You didn’t need to do that!”

“Nonsense, it’s my pleasure! I try to keep on top of my students’ birthdays!”

Midoriya suspected you could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed, eyes burning into him from every direction, and he smiled sheepishly, running his hand through his hair.

“W-Well, thank you, A-All Might. It’s really kind of you. But really, it’s no big deal! I’ve never really celebrated it much, I usually just have dinner with my mom, I don’t need anyone to make a fuss of me!”

“But this is our day to celebrate you!” Uraraka insisted, grabbing his arm. “Our day to celebrate that we got to meet you and be your friends!”

“Honestly, it’s fine, I had a really nice lunch with Kacchan and that’s more than enough for me!”

“Bakubro, you didn’t think to tell us?” Kirishima gave him a pitiful look. “You know Midoriya would never make a big deal of it himself, you should have said something!”

“Figured you knew,” he shrugged. “Not my job to tell you shit about other people.”

“I’m a little surprised you even remembered,” Kaminari mused, ruffling Bakugou’s hair teasingly. “Our Kacchan is a big softie after all, huh?”

“Why the fuck would I not remember my boyfriend’s birthday?”

The class fell dead silent again, but Midoriya could only beam at the onlookers – it sounded so good to hear Bakugou say it.

“Aren’t we meant to be learning or some shit?” Bakugou cocked an eyebrow, jolting All Might back to reality in a hurry. “School is gonna end, at this rate.”

“Right! Yes! Let’s get started!” All Might agreed. “We can gossip like school children after class. Though I suppose you are school children, so maybe I’ll leave the gossip to you! Anyway, as I said, let’s get started!”

Midoriya was slightly on edge through the entire talk about their plans for the afternoon; through the entire class, in fact. It felt like people were watching his every move, waiting for an opportunity to interrupt with questions, and all Midoriya could do was stay busy, trying his best not to be alone and still for long enough to hear it.  

Inevitably, though, the class came to an end, and Izuku was cornered before he could even get into the changing rooms.

“Leave him alone,” Bakugou barked, shouldering someone out of the way to grab Midoriya’s hand. “Come on, nerd, don’t let them harrass you.”

He dragged Midoriya away, ignoring the coos and whoops that followed, and Midoriya couldn’t help but smile at his back as he hurried to keep up. He stood watch like a guard dog as Midoriya changed, snarling at anyone who dared try to get too close, and Midoriya pulled him into a quick hug when he was back in his uniform.

“Thanks for protecting me, Kacchan! You wanna drop by and see All Might with me?”

“Nah, you have your fun,” Bakugou cracked a lopsided smile, ruffling Midoriya’s hair fondly. “You wanna have dinner with me later?”

“Can I?”

“Yeah, I’ll cook us something good. Just gonna do my homework first, I’ll text you when I’m done. You gonna hang out with All Might until then?”

“Probably,” Midoriya smiled faintly. “We tend to get carried away just talking about stuff.”

“I know, it’s cool. I’ll tell you when to get your ass back home, you go hang out ‘til then.”

“Thanks, Kacchan! I’m looking forward to your yummy food!”

“Damn right you are.”

─────

When Midoriya pushed open the door to the dorm building, he was fully expecting the amazing smell that wafted out to him from the kitchen. He’d hoped to be a little early, so he could watch Bakugou potter around the kitchen, but it smelled like he was a few minutes too late.

What he didn’t expect was the crowd of people waiting for him in the common area, throwing balloons and confetti the moment he stepped inside, yelling incoherent words as they threw themselves at him for hugs.

“I’m sorry it’s so last-minute,” Uraraka pouted, wrapping an arm around Izuku’s back and leading him inside. “You should have told us it was coming up! We had to settle for the stuff we could do in the space of a couple of hours.”

“You guys did this for me?”

“Of course we did!” Asui cut in, stealing him away for a hug. “I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything, I wish I’d known sooner!”

“It’s really not a big deal, I swear. Just spending the day with my friends was enough, even if we were in class for most of it!”

Kaminari shoved him into a chair, and he grinned when Ashido settled a paper party hat in his curls.

“Today is your day,” she reminded him fondly. “So let us celebrate and take care of you!”

He couldn’t contain his laughter when Sero and Kirishima showed up in dark suits, Kirishima balancing a tray of canapés while Sero held brightly-coloured, presumably alcohol-free cocktails.  

“An excellent choice, Sir,” Sero said in his best attempt at a snooty tone. “You have fine taste.”

“Thank you,” he grinned. “You’re very kind.”

“A snack to whet your appetite, Sir?”

“You guys really don’t have to do this,” he laughed, accepting a little pastry all the same. “Really, this is too much.”

“Nothing is too much for you, Midoriya,” Iida assured him with a painful sincerity. “You’ve always been here for all of us, a little birthday party is the least we can do.”

More plates came by, providing him with plenty of sweet drinks and mouth-watering snacks – thankfully providing his friends too – but Midoriya couldn’t help but notice that a certain spiky blond head was absent from the fray. He found his eyes wandering toward the kitchen, toward the source of all his incredible food, and Kaminari grinned when he caught him looking.

“He insisted he had to be the one who cooked,” Kaminari whispered, as if it was all some big conspiracy. “Because his Deku was expecting it.”

“He promised to make me dinner,” Midoriya agreed. “The food is amazing.”

“Sato and Kouda are helping him out. It took a little convincing to rope him into this whole thing, but he caved on the condition that he got to be Head Chef.”

“He’s very sweet.”

“He got you a present, right? He didn’t just announce ‘I’m your damn gift, nerd’ or something?”

“He got me the sweetest gifts ever,” Midoriya assured him. “He’s lovely, when he wants to be.”

“Good, I’m glad. He’s been pining over you for months, it’s about time he made a move.”

“Months?”

“Yeah dude, he’s got it bad.”

Kaminari squeaked, leaping up from the arm of the chair he rested against, and midoriya looked up to see his brand-new boyfriend standing in the doorway, eyes narrowed at Kaminari’s sudden nervousness.

“Heyyy, food is awesome, Bakugou!” he praised, backing away quickly. “Have fuuuuun.”

With a little grunt, Bakugou decided to let him live, instead stepping forward to hand Midoriya a steaming bowl of sukiyaki and udon noodles. He perched on the armest as Midoriya took his first bite, cracking a smile when Midoriya moaned over his first bite.

“It’s delicious, Kacchan! Oh my God.”

“Damn right it is,” Bakugou smirked. “I made it with love, nerd.”

“Don’t make me cry in front of everyone, you meanie! Are you gonna eat with me?”

Bakugou nodded, accepting a bowl from the huge collection of them that Sero and Kirishima were carting out, and soon the entire class was sitting back with their food, laughing and chatting together like one big happy family.  

Midoriya leaned over, resting his head against Bakugou’s side, and much to his shock, Bakugou’s fingers carded gently through his hair. His touch sent tingles over Midoriya’s skin, flooding him with warmth, and the fond looks they got from their classmates told him he wasn’t the only one who thought it was adorable.

He was just beginning to think that the night couldn’t get any better when the singing began, his face burning red as Sato and Kouda carried in a massive cake, at least three layers tall and decorated in green and white, some bright red strawberries sneaking their way into the mix too. He couldn’t hold the tears back any longer, when they set it down before him, and he took a deep breath before he blew out the candles.

“Did you make a wish?” Bakugou smirked.

“Kacchan, what could I possibly wish for?” he sniffled, wiping his eyes stubbornly. “You’re all so amazing.”

“Only the best for my Deku,” he murmured, leaning over to kiss Midoriya’s curls. “For the record, at midnight all this sappy shit ends, so make the most of it.”

“All of it?”

“We’ll still be dating,” Bakugou amended. “But this kissy cuddly crap that I know you like.”

“Okay,” Midoriya grinned. “I promise I’ll make the most of it.”

When his phone buzzed, the familiar selfie with his mother popped up, and Izuku wiped his eyes once more as he picked it up. It was just a text this time, checking in to see how his day went, and with a wobbly smile, Midoriya pulled up his camera.

“Say cheese, everyone.”

“Cheeeeeese!”

With a myriad of big smiles and silly faces in the background, Midoriya snapped a selfie, sending it to his mother with no hesitation. He knew she’d be happy for him, knew she’d be glad to see how many good friends he’d made since he started high school, and best of all, he knew she’d be happy to see Bakugou back at his side.

“So glad you’re having fun!” she replied quickly. “Bring Katsuki-kun by on Saturday, I’ll make extra katsudon!”

He held it out for Bakugou to read, and with a sigh that wasn’t at all convincing, Bakugou conceded a nod.

“I guess I can do that,” he agreed. “One more day of sappy stuff isn’t so bad.”

“Thanks, Kacchan. You’re the best.”

As the party began to wind down, everyone pitched in to get the common area cleaned up, and soon enough Midoriya was walking back up to his dorm room, Bakugou’s hand clutched firmly in his grasp. They stopped at his door, and Midoriya ran his fingers over Bakugou’s bracelet lightly, feeling the little stripes that perfectly matched his own.

“So, what do you think?” Bakugou smirked. “Did this birthday make up for all the shitty ones, a little?”

“More than a little,” Midoriya flung his arms around Bakugou’s neck, holding him close. “I got to hang out with my friends, got tons of amazing food, got to hang out with All Might, and best of all, my best friend finally became my boyfriend. It couldn’t have been any more perfect!”

Bakugou’s smile was much more genuine than his usual smirks, when he aimed it Midoriya’s way, and Midoriya found himself reaching up, brushing his thumb over soft, pink lips.

In answer, Bakugou leaned down, pressing them to Midoriya’s, and for a moment Midoriya couldn’t even move. He was stupefied by the action, lost for any sense of how to respond, but when Bakugou began to pull back, he held on tight.

“Damn it Kacchan,” he whispered, when they parted after a long moment. “Do you always have to prove me wrong?”

“You know it, nerd.”